Las Vegas has welcomed a new form of gambling with open arms and open wallets.

On 8 February Zachys held what president Jeff Zacharia calls the Nevada city’s first-ever commercial wine auction.

In Vegas jargon, the ‘take’ was US$2,526,037 for 94% of Zachys’ book – not bad since only 374 lots were offered.

High-rollers crowded Alex, a glitzy restaurant in the Wynn Hotel. A portion of their outlay went to charity.

A 1982 Pétrus jeroboam made $59,500. A case of 2000 Le Pin fetched $52,360.

A 1982 Lafite Rothschild case made $33,320. Two six-bottle cases of Krug 1995 Clos d’Ambonnay went for $26,180 each.

  • In Chicago, Hart Davis Hart registered its third consecutive 100% sold auction on 4 February, with 1,096 lots making $4,367,284, significantly beyond the catalog’s pre-sale estimate.Six magnums of 1990 La Tâche DRC, made $107,550, more than double its low estimate.A case of 1982 Lafite made $31,070, five bottles of 1996 Screaming Eagle, $11,950, and a case of 1994 Harlan Estate case yielded $19,120.Written by Howard G Goldberg in New York
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Howard G Goldberg
Howard G Goldberg
Decanter Magazine, Food & Wine Writer

Howard G Goldberg is a wine writer and critic based in New York City. He made his name writing about wine for The New York Times, where he worked for 34 years. He has written various books on food and wine, including Prime: The Complete Prime Rib Book and All About Wine Cellars. He compiled The New York Times Book of Wine – a collection of the publication’s best wine articles.